It was reported to me
recently that somewhere in the beautiful East
Peoria plant, gas cards worth $25 were “awar=
ded”
to workers who didn’t have a trip to First-Aid for a specific period =
of
time. Similarly it was reported earlier this year, Carbon Monoxide monitors
were sent to the homes of workers who did not have a work-related injury fo=
r a
year. I’m sure you’ve heard it said that there’s no such
thing as a free lunch and that also applies to these “gifts”.

Why would Caterpilla=
r (who
shoved a substandard new-hire wage scale down our throats and is forcing us=
and
the retirees to pay for our benefits) now be interested in giving away
thousands of dollars-worth of goodies? What is in it for them? The sad trut=
h is
this is not an incentive to work more safely; it is an incentive for=
you
not to report injuries. If management really wanted you to have a sa=
fe
workplace, they would reward you for turning in hazards so they could corre=
ct
them, not reward you for staying away from First-Aid.

How many people do y=
ou know
right now who have not reported a workplace injury? Why? Do they fear
discipline, blame storming investigations, Nuevo Laredo-type meetings, job
reassignment or the loss of their vehicle operator’s license? Discipl=
ine
you ask? Yes it’s true. Management claims that they have to discipline
workers because of OSHA requirements. That’s only part of the story. =

The real reason they
discipline is that in almost every instance when they are fined by OSHA,
Caterpillar claims “employee misconduct” as the cause. Caterpil=
lar
claims an “affirmative defense” when they claim to have work or
safety procedures, proof of training on those procedures and a record of
disciplining people for failure to follow the procedures. That’s why =
CAT
keeps records. Every time you take some sort of training, you are required =
to
sign a sheet or put in your password. Every procedure is available in the e=
vent
CAT needs it to defend itself against your wanton misconduct. They are happ=
y to
avoid their legal responsibility to provide you a safe workplace by blaming
you.

Please understand th=
at we do
have to follow Safe Job procedures, LOTO or ZMS procedures, Permit-Required
Confined Space procedures and Fall Protection procedures for our own protec=
tion,
but never forget that Caterpillar is responsible for our safety every minute
we’re at work. We have to make sure we report hazards to our supervis=
ors.
If your problem is not addressed in what you feel is a timely manner, ask to
see your UAW Safety Representative and file a complaint. (FYI, there is no
“repetitive” language in 8.3, the Safety Complaint Procedure). =
The
contractual Safety Complaint Procedure is the best way to document hazards =
and
get them corrected.

Safety Complaints ar=
e also
one way we can, if necessary, prove to OSHA that Caterpillar was made aware=
of
workplace hazards and did nothing—I like to refer to it as employer
misconduct. Your UAW Safety Representative can help get your problems resol=
ved
and resolved quickly. Your UAW Safety Representatives were appointed by the=
union
to help and represent you; the people selected by the company were not sele=
cted
for those reasons. One Safety Representative on third shift in Mossville was
able to correct a longstanding problem after being called to represent a
worker. That person had been complaining to their supervisor for months, but
when they finally called for their UAW Safety Rep and filed a written compl=
aint,
the problem was addressed. The worker said, “If I had known that was =
all
it would take, I’d have done it a long time ago”.

=
span>

We can learn from
Caterpillar. Everything we do at work is documented and we need to do the s=
ame.
Report all injuries—do not allow yourself to be bought for mere trink=
ets
or a tank of gas! When you have a problem on the job or there is something =
you feel
will injure you or make you sick, report it to your supervisor, that’s
what they’re there for. If the supervisor fails to address your probl=
em,
call for your UAW Safety Representative, that’s what they’re=
there for.